Strong muscles are the foundation of a healthy body. Strong muscles and adequate muscle mass offer many health benefits. Why should everyone work out and build muscle?
Fitness Training for All Ages
The health benefits of strength training have been extensively studied. Over the past decade, strength training has become just as important a means of promoting health as endurance exercise. Strength training is no longer important merely for supporting bones and joints, but also for preventing a variety of diseases. Strength training can also reduce the need for medication.
Strength training is important for people of all ages, but the importance of good muscle strength increases with age. For people over 50, strength training has a significant impact on muscle maintenance, and for those over 70, the impact is even more significant. If you haven’t done strength training before, age is no barrier to starting. Age also doesn’t affect your progress—you can build muscle strength at any age.
On the other hand, the earlier you start strength training, the better and longer-lasting the benefits will be. Good muscle strength also helps young people during periods of illness, injury, or other situations that limit mobility. The foundation built in youth will serve you well as you get older.
What happens in the muscles?
Muscle cells adapt to the amount of exercise: the less you use your muscles, the lazier and smaller the muscle cells become. When you increase your strength training, the cells begin to activate and grow. So, the number of muscle cells doesn’t increase during training; instead, the cells grow and fill up with protein and water. Muscles respond to training, and protein synthesis—which builds muscle—can continue for up to a couple of days after a workout. Strength training achieves two things: muscles grow and strength increases.
How quickly will I see results?
When you start strength training, you’ll start seeing results right away. Progress is especially rapid in the beginning. If your training follows a progressive schedule from the start and your diet supports your training, you’ll begin to see clear improvements in your strength levels and in the mirror as early as three months in. However, few people need to worry about excessive muscle growth. You don’t accidentally become a “musclehead”; building large, defined muscles requires a structured training program.
Unfortunately, this progress won’t continue at the same rapid pace forever; it will begin to slow down after about a year. If you want to continue seeing results in strength and muscle mass, you’ll need to plan your workouts more carefully. Your workouts should be progressive, and you should vary the stimuli often enough. The importance of nutrition also begins to take on greater significance.
However, continuous improvement is not necessary. Once muscle mass and strength have been built up to a sufficient level, workouts can focus on maintaining muscle condition.
The Benefits of Good Muscle Condition
The list of benefits of good muscle fitness is long. That’s why everyone is sure to find at least one reason on the list to start or increase their strength training.
Strength Training
- strengthens bones
- protects the joints
- improve balance
- helps prevent dementia
- protects the heart
- stabilizes blood sugar
- improve lipid levels
- protects against silent inflammation
- extend the lifespan
- is good for your back
- relieve pain
- speed up recovery
- prevents muscle loss
- more power
- helps you fall asleep
- maintain operational capability
- boosts metabolism
- helps with weight management
- reduce body fat
- makes it easier to cope with everyday life
- boosts self-confidence
- helps in other sports
A personal trainer can help you get started with strength training. Schedule a free fitness consultation. It’s never too late to start or to focus on building muscle!